


Chance to Shine

by SleepySapphire



Category: Kamen Rider - All Media Types, Kamen Rider Ex-Aid
Genre: First Dates, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 11:20:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24968860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SleepySapphire/pseuds/SleepySapphire
Summary: Parad and Kuroto go on a date.
Relationships: Dan Kuroto/Parad
Comments: 6
Kudos: 6





	Chance to Shine

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MarineHaddock](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarineHaddock/gifts).



> Happy Birthday Graham!! You're the best friend a person could have in the Toku fandom.  
> Cover Art by OrangeCylon64 Available Here <3!  
>   
> 

“Parad, are you sure about this? It is Kuroto, after all…” Emu’s voice, soft and full of concern, was appreciated, but Parad was fairly sure he could handle himself, especially since Kuroto was still stuck in the bugvisor until further notice.

“I’ll be fine, Emu!” Parad spun around to face him. Rather than his usual outfit, Emu, with the help of Kiriya, had taken Parad shopping for what they called “real” clothes. A red button up shirt with black frilled cuffs, black suspenders, and blue plaid slacks were the best he had come up with on his own, and today he would be wearing them for the first time on his date with Kuroto. 

Parad’s date with Kuroto. 

The date that Parad had. With Kuroto… who had asked Parad out on a date with him. 

Parad froze, standing by his tiny little dresser that was crammed into the corner of the room he shared with Emu. All the clothes he had recently acquired were folded neatly, not a single wrinkle to be seen. It was a stark contrast to Emu’s side of the room, where all his clothes were either strewn about the room or draped from his own dresser in mounding, unkempt heaps. 

Parad wasn’t sure why he had agreed to go on the date with Kuroto. 

It had come out of nowhere, while Emu was on break and it was just the three of them in CR. They had been minding their own business, and then the next minute he knew, he heard a confused noise come from Emu. He looked up, and when he followed his eyes to where Emu’s attention had gone, a rather bold request had been painted out on the inside of the cabinet screen in cursive kanji, a note from Kuroto to Parad asking if he would join him for an afternoon, just the two of them. 

Emu had been floored, and rather than focus on the fact that  _ Dan Kuroto _ had asked Parad on a date, he had been more focused on the fact that Kuroto had managed to paint on the inside of the DoReMiFaBeat Cabinet without even a pen. 

Turns out, when you’re Dan Kuroto, pulling up the files of paint.net and programming them into existence is an easy feat.

“But, It’s Kuroto, isn’t it? Why are you--” 

“Emu!” Parad’s cheeks puffed out and he turned around to face Emu, a pout in his red and blue eyes. 

Emu wasn’t usually this…

Parad didn’t know how to describe it. Concerned for him? 

Parad wouldn’t be so bold as to call it protective, but there was definitely a part of him that craved the attention and possibility that Emu would feel protective towards him the same way Parad felt protective of Emu. 

“... Sorry.” Emu glanced down, his cheeks a little pink as Parad turned around again, grabbing a dark blue ribbon from the top of the drawer so he could tie it around the collar of his shirt. After much consideration, he decided it would complete the look. 

“Just.. be safe, okay?” Parad gave a small nod, looking back to Emu with a bright smile. 

He had understood long ago that he didn’t have a chance with Emu, so the realization that Kuroto not only thought of him as a person, but also thought of him as someone who had romantic potential was making Parad’s heart swell. It was Kuroto, but Parad’s excitement easily overpowered any concern or worry he might have had. 

“I know, I know. Emu worries too much.” Parad flashed a cheeky grin, and wandered past Emu to the cramped living room. Truthfully, it made Parad happy that Emu was actually showing concern for him, because he’d never done it before. 

“Okay.. Well, just reminding you, if you need me or Kiriya-san, or--” 

“Emu!” Entirely unplanned yet in sync, both their cheeks puffed out, mimicking one another. 

“Sorry. I trust you.” Emu sighed, and Parad gave a small nod, heading over to the kitchen table where Kuroto’s bugvisor sat. How Emu had snuck him out of CR without anyone knowing, Parad wasn’t sure. All he knew was there was a sheet hanging over the beat cabinet with “Nap Time” hastily scribbled on a piece of paper and taped to the sheet. 

“Kuroto?” Parad picked up the bugvisor carefully, looking down to the screen. Inside the bugvisor stood Kuroto, donned in a sand colored glen plaid suit with soft blue button up shirt and a navy blue tie.

Parad didn’t really care to know how he had managed to change his clothes inside a bugvisor; it was just one of those  _ Dan Kuroto _ things that Parad had come to accept. 

Also, he was really hot.

Like, really attractive. 

Parad felt pixels begin to gather in his cheeks as Kuroto knocked against the window of the bugvisor. 

“Ready?” Kuroto’s head cocked to the side and he gave a wink. Suddenly a little self conscious, Parad gave a small nod, holding Kuroto against his chest as he quick grabbed the navy beret hanging on the coat rack and teleported from the apartment he shared with Emu, off to be with Kuroto by himself for the first time in… 

A while. 

That’s right; it had been a while since he had spent any time alone with Kuroto, hadn’t it?

Parad and Kuroto popped out of nothingness next to some little park, the former glancing around to get a feel for their location before he looked down to Kuroto. Kuroto was silent, dark eyes watching him closely, face passive. It almost reminded Parad of the front he put up in front of others before he had been outed as a criminal mastermind. 

“You should hold the bugvisor out more so I can see you better.” Parad blinked, holding it up a bit at an awkward angle.

“Eh? Like this?” He raised his arms out a bit, head tilting to try and fit himself in view, pausing only to hold the beret to his head with his other hand. It was a little hard due to his height, however. 

“Yes, yes… Good.” Kuroto placed a hand against the screen of the bugvisor, the hem of his form fitting suit raising a little as he moved. 

They stood there in silence for a few moments, Parad watching Kuroto and Kuroto watching Parad. Every second that passed, Parad began to feel a little more self conscious, wondering if he had done the right thing by going out with Kuroto. Or maybe it was his clothes? Parad didn’t see the reason to wear anything other than his normal clothes, but he wanted to try something  _ different _ for this; he wanted to try and start distancing himself from Parad, Emu’s codependent Bugster, and become just… Parad. 

Movement from the bugvisor caught Parad’s attention, and he refocused his gaze to see a gentle look in Kuroto’s eyes, and a small smile on his face as he raised a hand to his chin, still appraising Parad. 

“K-Kuroto…?” Why was Kuroto looking at him like that?

“It would seem.. You’re still just as stunning as the moment you were born, Parad.” A small squeak left Parad as he nearly dropped the bugvisor. 

“Huh??”

Kuroto laughed softly, eyes never once leaving Parad despite the faint dusting of pink that had pixelated around his cheeks for a few moments, almost easy to miss. 

“Parad, let me out.” A small frown took Parad’s lips and he lowered the bugvisor, holding it in both hands once more. 

“... Why?” Suddenly, doubt was beginning to rush through him. Was this all just a ploy for Kuroto to get Parad alone and entice him into releasing Kuroto? 

Parad didn’t want to be used again…

“It’s hard to see all of you like this. Also, how am I supposed to take you out properly this way? Not to mention, people are looking.” Kuroto flashed a grin, and Parad took the chance to cast a quick glance around, noting that there were, infact, people here and there watching as he spoke to Kuroto in the bugvisor, which probably just looked like a game system to them. 

Ah….

Parad felt his face color again and he bounced off of the sidewalk, ducking around a few trees before he held his arm out and pressed a button, releasing Kuroto from the bugvisor. Still embarrassed, Parad didn’t look over right away as Kuroto was released, and the only indicator that he had a smooth landing was the soft, nearly inaudible sound of leaves and grass being crunched under his weightless body. Then, an index finger pressed to Parad’s chin, and he found his head being guided towards Kuroto. 

“Much better.” Parad swallowed, his eyes forced to meet with Kuroto’s. 

Prolonged eye contact always reminded him of the times before, when it was just Kuroto and Parad up in Kuroto’s office, and the two of them decided to let off a little steam in ways that involved Kuroto shoving Parad down into his office chair and then climbing up onto his lap and--

Wrong place, wrong time! Kuroto was too close; much too close. Parad ducked out from under him and turned to face him, holding the bugvisor up threateningly. 

“One wrong move, and--”

“Yes, yes. And then Emu and the squad will all come to your rescue, of course. But worry not, dear Parad. I  _ am _ sincere about wanting to be with you today.” Studying Kuroto for a moment, Parad decided, under his own discretion, to lower the bugvisor. This would be fine; it wasn’t as though Emu needed to know. 

Parad stored the bugvisor away, about to talk when suddenly, Kuroto took his hand and began to lead him off. Parad gawked a little, his red and blue eyes growing wide as Kuroto took control so naturally, neither ahead or behind Parad as they walked down the sidewalk. 

“Uhh… uh, Kuroto?” If Parad tripped and face planted, he would have to delete himself from existence. 

“Hmmm?” 

“I just…” Why was Parad’s throat locking up? Parad puffed his cheeks out a little, trying to concentrate on anything he could say, when suddenly one of Kuroto’s fingers pushed gently into his cheek deflating the little air bubble that had formed on that side of his mouth, leaving only one side puffed out. 

“You’re too tense, Parad. Emu will get worried, you know. Why don’t you tell me where you’d like to go, first.” As though to gesture, Kuroto held an arm out around them, unfortunately drawing more attention as people passed by. 

“Ah! Uhh…. hm… ice cream!” Parad blurted the words out, and then stared at Kuroto as though he hadn’t just made the worlds stupidest suggestion. 

Ice cream?

Really?

_ Ice cream? _

Parad had been spending too much time around Emu and Kiriya, he didn’t even need to eat, let alone something as pointless as ice cream! Still, the idea of something sweet and cool touching his data sensors seemed.. Nice. 

“Ice cream?” Kuroto glanced up in thought for a moment, looking to be in thought while Parad’s mind raced. 

“Nothing better? You can suggest anything, you know. A helicopter ride over Tokyo Bay, or--” Parad’s eyes grew wide again.

“What? No! J-just, uh, something… normal? Here!” Taking charge, Parad suddenly yanked Kuroto over to a nearby ice cream stall, pointing to one of the flavors. 

“This one.” Kuroto’s eyebrows raised as he stared down at the unassuming little stall, glancing to Parad and then back, before he sighed, relenting, and stepped in front of Parad to order. 

“Two cones; black sesame, and double scoop with yuzu and strawberry.” As Kuroto ordered, Parad licked his lips. He didn’t normally eat food, but sometimes he liked to sneak Emu’s snacks, and Parad had found that the sweeter it was, the tastier. Though, ironically it seemed as though Emu preferred salty things to sweet. 

A few moments later, the treats were handed over and they walked off, Parad eagerly beginning to lap at the yuzu portion of his cone while Kuroto leisurely licked his own.

They walked in silence for several moments, both minding themselves. It was kind of strange to Parad, though. He had known Kuroto his whole life, yet he never imagined they could be so peaceful together. The Kuroto he had known in private versus the man Kuroto was now were so different, yet exactly the same. Parad glanced over to the other male, pondering him for several moments as they continued to walk. 

It was the perfect day for something like this, really. Bright and sunny; women walked by in loose, flowy outfits, a child in one hand and parasole in the other, couples here and there clung to one another while exchanging quiet lovey words, elders sat on benches admiring the scenery. It reminded Parad that this was the kind of stuff Emu had been fighting so hard to protect. Quiet, peaceful lives where people could have fun and play games on their own terms, and while some of it seemed boring to Parad, somehow he was beginning to understand it all as he and Kuroto turned off the main path and through a little patch of woods. 

Almost instantly, the blinding sunlight was filtered by vibrant green leaves, sheltering them from the light under cool tree tops. It wasn’t actually a problem for either of them, it wasn’t as though they could burn under the sun like Emu, who needed six layers of what he called  _ Sun Block,  _ or else he’d turn redder than a freshly boiled prawn. 

Tongue flicking up the last of the yuzu on his ice cream, Parad glanced over to Kuroto just in time to see the other male opening his mouth and shoving the rest of his cone in, swallowing it down as though he were a snake. It had still been mostly whole. 

Parad stared, his own cone lowering a little as Kuroto blinked in his direction and cleared his throat, arm dropping to his side before he looked away again. 

What the fuck was he supposed to even say to that?

Moreover, Kuroto was pretending as though that was  _ normal,  _ not even saying anything as they continued their little journey to nowhere. 

Parad looking away, watching the trail in front of them. His mind was blank for several long moments until suddenly he couldn’t help but laugh. Beside him he heard Kuroto draw in a sharp breath, but Parad couldn’t stop the waves of laughter that began to fall from him, actually having to stop in his tracks to keep himself up right, but failing as he doubled over, struggling not to drop his ice cream. 

“Hm. Was it really that funny?” Kuroto had stopped a few feet away, both legs facing forward while his head and upper half tilted back slightly to look at Parad, both hands in the pockets of his finely tailored slacks. 

“Ah! Ah, I mean-- Well--”

Seriously, what the hell?

Ah, but Parad couldn’t stop laughing. It was as though a floodgate had been opened and all the stress and anxiety and doubts were flooding out all at once, leaving Parad breathless and teary eyed. 

Then, Kuroto’s shadow was falling over him, hand reaching out to snatch up the remainder of his ice cream. They locked eyes, and Parad’s mind went blank as Kuroto repeated the process of opening his mouth to an almost comical size before he swallowed the whole thing down. Parad jumped back, his eyes wide in shock as he witnessed the atrocity yet again.

“Wait! D-don’t you feel sorry for the ice cream?!” Parad pointed towards Kuroto accusingly, who only smirked in return. 

“The ice cream had it coming. Why should the ice cream get all your attention, when I’m here?” Kuroto turned, beginning to walk down the path again, and Parad was left with red pixiled cheeks again. 

He stared.

And stared. 

And stared some more, before rushing to chase after.

“Wha-- Kuroto!? Were you jealous of an ice cream cone?? Kuroto!”

Then, Kuroto was running, and Parad couldn’t help but laugh a little as he picked up his pace, trying to keep up. 

“Kuroto!” A cool breeze blew into Parad as he ran, and he noticed the path opening up into a wide blue sky, dotted with massive fluffy clouds as far as the eye could see. As he entered the clearing, he reached up and grabbed the top of his hat to keep it from blowing off as a particularly powerful gust blew past them, He blinked a few times, eyes adjusting to the sudden sunlight, and looked to see Kuroto leaning against a rail, watching endless blue waves crash into the cliff they stood on. Parad approached cautiously, suddenly nervous. 

He hadn’t realized they were headed to an overlook that would give them a nice view of a long, long drop into the cold sea. Parad focused his attention upwards, looking at the various boats belonging to fishermen that dotted the surface of the water. 

Weren’t they frightened of falling in and drowning? 

Especially in a place like this… it wasn’t like a pool or a tub, if they fell in, then surely there was no way to climb back out. They had either themselves or their partner to rely on, and that was it. 

If they drowned, then they died, and if they died it was all over, so how could they just sit down there like it was no big deal--

“Look at me.” 

Parad’s eyes snapped away from deep watery azure, meeting with Kuroto’s dark, calm eyes. He trembled a little, swallowing down the taste of sticky sweet cream that had been stuck on his tongue from the yuzu ice cream he had been eating earlier.

“I…” Parad stopped, unable to get his words out. He opened his mouth to try again, when suddenly another heavy gust of wind blew past them and lifted his berrett clean from his head. He looked up in surprise, suddenly flooded with helplessness as the hat flew into the air and out of his reach. 

That was, until Kuroto, with all the agility of a cat, somehow sprung from the ground, leaping high into air, his hand stretching out and catching the hat before he fell again, landing neatly in a crouch. Parad watched him stand straight, tears stinging in his eyes as Kuroto turned back to Parad and gently placed the hat back onto Parad’s head again. Parad breathed out, trying to keep himself calm, and Kuroto suddenly turned away from him, facing the open sea. They stayed silent for several moments, and then Kuroto suddenly spoke.

“I was afraid I was going to lose you.” He reached out, hand to the flimsy wooden fence that separated people from a tumble that would surely lead to death. 

Parad blinked, confused, but Kuroto was talking again before he could reply. 

“I yelled at him again and again not to do it, but he didn’t listen, and I thought you were dead. I thought I lost you.” Kuroto breathed out, and Parad heard a shudder in his breath. 

He didn’t know what to say to Kuroto. 

This was all out of nowhere, a complete surprise. 

Slowly, timidly, Parad reached out, hands resting on Kuroto’s when suddenly Kuroto spun around and yanked Parad into his arms, grip tight and force strong enough to knock his hat off once more. It flew to the ground, wind blowing it several feet away before it got caught in a bush. 

“I’m so glad you’re alive.” Kuroto’s forehead pressed into his shoulder, voice soft. Parad found his arms closing around Kuroto’s back, hands flattening to rub lightly up and down his spine. 

“Kuroto… I am.” Parad was, wasn’t he? 

He was alive because of not only Emu, but Kuroto as well. 

Both of them had given him life, in a way, but only one of them had tried to take it, and as much as Parad loved Emu, there was still a part of him that held the smallest amount of fear towards Emu for that.

But Emu was Emu, and Kuroto was Kuroto, and Parad was Parad. 

Parad felt his arms tightening a little around Kuroto, the fear and nervousness of being so close to the ocean beginning to subside the longer he held the other male.

Parad was happy to be alive, and happy to be there with Kuroto, despite all the things that had happened between them. 

Arms squeezing a little, Parad finally released Kuroto in favor of slipping his arm between them to tilt Kuroto’s head up a little, guiding Kuroto’s face towards his so he could press a gentle kiss to his forehead, his hand slipping down to take Kuroto’s hand. 

Kuroto watched him for a few moments, before a small frown took his lips.

“.. Only the forehead?”

Grinning mischievously, Parad spun around, giving a tug on Kuroto’s arm as he made his way over to the brush to grab his hat. 

“That’s right. Only the forehead. If you beat me at some games, maybe you’ll get something more?” He reached down and grabbed his hat, not letting go of Kuroto’s hand as he placed it back onto his head and glanced back, bi-colored eyes gleaming, 

“You said we could go anywhere I wanted, didn’t you? I wanna go to _ Joypolis. _ ” Parad turned back around, feeling giddy with excitement once more. 

“Hmph. It’s a weekend, it’ll be packed with noisy children. Maybe I should have them scared off so we can play in peace?” Parad frowned, casting a glance back to Kuroto.

“Don’t make me call Emu.” Parad shifting, raising up a little cane with the words  _ Kuroto Panic Button  _ printed along the body, topped off with a bright red button. 

Kuroto grumbled, and Parad lowered the cane, grinning again as they continued on the path back to the entrance of the park together.


End file.
